Worm and method of making the same



LL. PERKINS, L. E. DELOGH IA, AND H. D CROFT.

WORM AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME. nPPucMmn min-APR. 26, 1921.

Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

Patented Nov. Z235,

JULIAN L. PERKINS, OF WEST SFRINGFIELD, LOUIS E. DELOGHIA, OF AGAWAM, AND HIRAM D. CROFT, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO PERKINS APPLIANCE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WORM AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed April 26, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JULIAN L. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a. resident of est Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, LOUIS E. DELOGHIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Agawam, in said county and State, and HIRAM D. CROFT, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, in said county and State, have jointly invented a new and usel ul lVorm and. Method of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

()ur invention relates to improvements in the type of gears known as worms, and more especially to such gears or worms which are hollow and commonly used in monkey-wrench construction, wherein they are more properly termed knurls; and said invention resides in a knurl consisting of a spirally wound bar or strip which forms the body and thread of said knurl, together with joint--closing or binding means, provided it be desired to employ the same, and such other features as it may be found expedient to employ; and said invention resides, further, in the method of producing knurls, which method consists in laying or winding a strip or bar of annealed metal, of the proper shape and size, on a mandrel, with the convolutions in contiguity, until a coil or spiral. of the required or desired length is formed, in slipping such spiral otli' oi said mandrel, in cutting said spiral into one or more knurl lengths. according to the length oi the spiral, and in hardening the knurl or kuurls thus produced, all as hereinatter more fully set forth.

It a binder be applied, the same is wound onto or laid into the spiral before the lat-- tor is removed from the mandrel, it being understood that such binder consists of a. strip of annealed metal of the required size and shape.

If the peripheries of the threads of the knurls thus produced are to be serrated or knurled, such work is done before the knurls are hardened, and usually before they are cut from their spiral or spirals.

In place of binders for the convolutions of the knurl, interlocking oints may be provided.

The primary objectof our invention is to Serial No. 464,639.

produce economically and expeditiously a very inexpensive worm orknurl, one that is especially adapted for monkey-wrenches and the like, and wherewith the results obtained are equal in all respects to those obtained with the type of knurls heretofore employed in this field.

This knurl is strong and durable, yet may be made comparatively light in weight, and as compact as is practicable in a. device of this character.

Other objects and advantages will appear in. the course of the following description.

'VVe attain the objects and secure the advantages of our invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of aknurl having an acme thread; Fig. 2, an end elevation of said knurl; Fig. 3, a central, longitudinal section through said knurl,. Fig. 4, an isometric view of a portion of the strip or bar which enters into the construction of said knurl, or from which the latter is made; vvFig. 5, a side elevation of a portion of a spiral formed when said strip or bar is wound on a mandrel, (a broken length of which latter is shown), during the process of the manufacture of the aforesaid knurl, and thus illustrative of the method of making the same; Fig. 6, an end elevation of such mandrel and spiral; Fig. 7 a side elevation of a knurl having a buttress thread; Fig. 8, an end elevation of said last-named knurl; Fig. 9, a central, longitudinal section through said last-named knurl, Fig. 10, an isometric view of a portion of the bar from which said last-named knurl is made; Fig. 11, a. side elevation of portions of a mandrel and a spiral thereon illustrative of the method of making the knurlshown in. Figs 7, 8, and 9: Fig. 12, an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 11; Fig. a fragmentary section of a. knurl showing modified arrangement of the convolutions of the knurl, due to a slight change in the shape of the bar out of which the knurl is constructed: Fig. 14, a fragmentary section of'a knurl showing another structural modification which features interlocking joints between the "convolutions; Fig. 15, a. fragmentary section of a knur-l showing still another modification and a different kind of interlocking oint; Fig. 16, a fragmentary section of a knurl similar to that shown in the first three views, but provided with a binder; Fig. 17, a side elevation of said last-named knurl; Fig. 18, a fragmentary section of a knurl in which is illustrated yet another shape of bar from which the knurl is made, and showing in connection therewith a slightly different binder from that which appears in the two preceding views, and, Fig. 19, a fragmentary section of a knurl which embodies a possible modification, both in the shape of the bar from which the knurl is made, and in the interlocking joint between the convolutions, that is not illustrated in any of the other views.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the several views. The first knurl illustrated in the drawings is made from a strip or bar such as that shown in Fig. 4t. This bar consists of a rectangular base 1. and a wedgesh-aped rib 2 rising from the top of said base in the longitudinal center thereof. The rib 2 has inclined sides that converge as they rise from the base 1, and said rib is proportioned to produce an acme thread. .The aforesaid knurl comprises a hollow, cylindrical body i formed from the base 1 of the bar, and a thread 5 formed from the rib 2 of said bar. The bar is wound while in a ductile state on a mandrel, as 3, then the coil or spiral thus formed, and which is shown in Fig. 5, is slipped off of said mandrel, cut to the required length or into the required lengths, and hardened, when the knurl illustrated in the first three views is complete and ready for use. unless it be required that the periphery of the thread 5 be serrated, in which event the outer surfaces of the convolutions of said thread are subjected to the operation of the knurling mechanism, before the knurl is hardened.

The convolutions which form the body l;

, are in close contact, and the spiral joint thus formed is indicated by the numeral 6, the same numeral being employed in connection with such joint in all of the examples herein shown. In this example the joint 6 is in the body 4 midway between the thread convolutions at the base.

There is a passage 7 through the center of the body 1, which is left when the spiral from which the knurl is made is removed from the mandrel 3.

The bar may be laid or wound in a spiral course or series of convolutions, wound on a mandrel 3. to form the spiral from which the knurl is produced, on or in a screw machine or other suitable machine. .or this work may be done by means of adjustable rolls which lay or wind said bar on the mandrel. "When the winding is done with the aid of a screw machine, one end of the bar is attached to the face-plate, and a suitable device is employed to handle the rest of the bar and cause the same to be laid or wound properly on the mandrel as the same revolves. Both of these mechanisms are old and well known.

The knurl illustrated in the next three views is very similar to the other except that it has an abutment thread. This knurl is made from a bar, such as that shown in Fig. 10, which consists of a rectangular base 8 and a rib 9, the latter rising from the top of said base. One side of the rib 9 is in the same plane with the corresponding side of the base 8, and the other side of said rib starts from the top of said base a little distance inward from the adjacent side thereof, and rises with an inclination toward said first-named side of said rib. This bar is wound on the mandrel 3 in the same manner as before, and there is produced a coil or spiral such as represented in Figs. 11 and 12, from which is formed, by the other steps in the method, such as have already been described, a knurl having a body 10 and a thread 11, with a longitudinal passage 7 through said body as in the previous case. The spiral joint between the convolutions appears at .6. Here the joint 6 between the convolutions of the body 10 is a. continuation inwardly of the sides of said body and the thread 11, which sides in the bar originally are in the same plane with each other.

The knurl with the abutment thread is produced by substantially the same method as is the knurl with the acme thread, as previously intimated, and this statement holds good with regard to any of the knurls directly or indirectly described in connec tion herewith, and any other knurls or worms which are included in the present invention.

Ordinarily, or in many if not most cases, the knurl need not be provided with any special means, such as interlocking joints or binders, for securing the convolutions together, or otherwise insuring the maintenance of the shape of the worm, or strengthening and stiffening the same, because the parts and members maintain their relationship, position, and condition, after they have been wound into, proper form and hardened, without the addition of any mechanical means. Nevertheless, in some cases. it is necessary or desirable to strengthen the knurl, and bind the convolutions thereof together, by some mechanical means, especially when the binding force inherent in the parts is insufficient to overcome or resist strain and stress tending to distort such parts or otherwise injure the knurl. To this end certain peculiar oints may be provided, such as those illustrated in Figs. 13, 14, 15, and 19, and certain peculiar binders may be employed, such as those illustrated in Figs. 16, ii, and 18, and we will now proceed to describe said joints and said binders.

In Fig. 13, a fragment of a knurl having an acme thread 5 is shown, but such thread in each convolution is located one side of the corresponding convolution of the body 1. The body at and thr ad 5, in this example, are made from a bar which consists of a base and a rib located at one longitudinal edge of said base, and remote from the other longitudinal edge thereof, and wherein the side of said base which corresponds with the outer sides of said rib has the same inclination as said side of said rib, and both of said sides. are in the same plane. It is now clearly apparent that one side of the body l of each convolution extends slantwise beneath the contiguous side of the body in the next convolution at theleft, as represented at 12. Thus the convolutions are to a cer tain extent interlocked with each other or locked together, so that ordinarily one can not be forced outwardly in such a manner as to disengage the same from its cornpanions.

In the fragment of lrnurl illustrated in Fig. 1 1:, the acme thread 5 is again present, but the rib which forms such thread is not only located at one edge, instead of in the center of the base which forms the body 4 of the knurl, as in the Fig. 13 construetion, but said rib extends even beyond such edge, consequently the convolutions of said thread project over the contiguous convolutions of said body, as represented at 13, and an interlocking joint is produced.

In Fig. 15, an interlocking joint is formed by an extension or projection 14 at the base of the thread 5 on one side and an extension or projection 15 at the base of said taread on the other side, the former projection being above the latter projection. In other respects this knurl, which is provided with the overlying and underlying proj ctions 14; and 15, is similar to the one herein first described. The projectirms 14; and 15 form parts of the body 4t in the construction.

Again, in F15 19, an interlocking joint is produced by means of continuous extensions or projections. in this example the thread 5 projects beyond one side of the body in each convolution, the amount of such projection being very much greater than that in the Fig. .14- construction, and there is a continuous rib or projection 16 on top of said body at the edge opposite that \vhereon said thread is located. A c0ntinuous channel or groove, to receive the projection 16 is provided in the bottom of the overhanging portion of the thread 4. In other particulars the construction just described is generally similar to the other constructions.

As is the case in the Fig. 13 construction,

wherein the joint between the convolutions of the knurl is at an incline to the axis of said knurl, and the nature of the construction is such as to prevent any convolution from springing outwardly from the other convolutions, so, also, in regard to the Fig. 15% construction, wherein the thread at one edge overlaps the contiguous portion ofthe body of the lrnurl. Again, in the Figs. 15 and 19 constructions, provision is made to prevent any convolutions from springing outwardly from the others, the projection 14- which extends at the base of the thread 5 from one side of the body l over the projection 15 which extends the base of said thread from the other side of said body serving to bind the 'convolutiens together and produce the desired result, in the Fig. 15 construction, and the projection of the thread 5 over the contiguous portion of the body 4 being the means by which the aforesaid result is obtained in the F 19 construction. Inasmuch as the thread 5 projects much farther over the body, in said last-named construction, than is the case in the Fig. 1 1 construction, there is a correspondingly greater area of overlapping surface to prevent the outward springing of any convolution in the construction last described. Furthermore, in that construction or example, the body projection 16, which enters the groove or channel provided therefor in the inner side of the thread 5. secures the convolutions together so that they can not be separated laterally, inasmuch as said projection extends beyond the periphery of that portion of the body t upon which the base of the thread is located. Thus a double lock or fastening or securing means is provided for the convolutions which make up the knurl represented in Fig. 19.

In place of the integral looking or jointclosing moans hereinbefore described, we may make use of a strip as 17, Figs. 16 and 1?, or a strip as 18, Fig. 18, to serve as a binder for the convolutions of the lrnurl. The strip or binder 17 is applicable to a construction similar to that shown in the first three views, being of a size and shape to fit between the convolutions of the thread 5. Said binder is wound between the eoi'ivolutions of the thread 5 onto the body 4-, and therefore over the joint 6 which is covered by the binder. The binder 17, not only prevents any convolution from springing outwardly beyond its companions, but materially strengthens the knurl as a whole, and the same is also true of the binder 18.

In the F 18 construction there is no physical separation between the body and thread, since the inclined sides of the thread, indicated by the numeral 19 continue until they meet to form a practically continuous wall for the passage 7 through the lznurl. The binder 18 is triangular in cross section, and of a size and shape to fit between the convolutions of the thread 19, at the base, and with the inner portions of such convolutions to form the body of the knurl. The strips 1? and 18 are incorporated with their respective spirals before said strips are hardened, and such winding, and the subsequent cutting to lengths with the spirals, if necessary, and the hardening, are steps in the method that attend the employment of said strips or either of them.

Although we have illustrated a number of possible forms which our invention may take, the field has by no means been exhausted thereby, and we do not desire or intend to limit said invention to said forms. lVhat we claim as our invention, and de sire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm consisting solely of a bodyand thread-forming coil.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm consisting solely of a bodyand thread-forming coil, with joint-closing means for such coil.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm comprising a bodyand thread-forming coil provided with means to prevent the outward springing of the convolutions of such coil.

i. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm comprising a bot yand thread-forming coil provided with means to prevent the convolutions of such coil from separating from each other.

5. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm comprising a bodyand threadforming coil provided with means to prevent the convolutions thereof from separating circumferentially.

6. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm comprising a bodyand thread-forming coil provided with means to prevent the convolutions thereof from separating laterally.

7. As an improved article of manufacture, a hollow worm comprising a bodyand thread-forming coil provided with means to prevent the convolutions thereof from separating either circumferentially or laterally. 8. As an improved article of manufacture, a worm comprising a coiled member which forms the body and the thread of the worm. 9. As an improved article of manufacture,

a worm comprising a coiled member which forms the body and thread of such worm, and means to close the joint between the convolutions of the body portion of such member.

10. As an improved article of manufao ture, a worm comprising a coiled bar which has a base to form the body and a rib to form the thread of such worm.

11. As an improved article of manufacture, a worm comprising a coiled bar which has a base to form the body and a rib to form the thread of such worm, and means to close the joint between the convolutions of such body.

12. The method of making worms, consisting in winding a bar of annealed metal on a mandrel, in removing the coil thus formed from such mandrel, and in hardening such coil.

13. The method of making worms, consisting in winding on a mandrel a barof annealed metal, in removing such bar from such mandrehin hardening such coil, and in knurling the periphery of the thread of such coil.

14. The method of making worms, consisting in winding on a mandrel a bar of annealed metal, in removing from such mandrel the coil thus formed, in cutting said coil to length, and in hardening said coil.

15. The method of making worms, consisting in winding on a mandrel a bar of annealed metal, in winding over the joint between the convolutions of the coil thus formed a strip of annealed metal, in removing from said mandrel such coil with the strip wound thereon, and in hardening the parts.

16. The method of making worms, consisting in winding on a mandrel a bar of annealed metal, in winding over the joint between the convolutions of the coil thus formed a strip of annealed metal, in removing from said mandrel such coil with the strip wound thereon, in cutting said coil to length, and in hardening the parts.

JULIAN L. PERKINS. LOUIS E. DELOGHIA. HIRAM D. CROFT.

Witnesses F. A. CUTTER, EARLE J. HESSELTON. 

